Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

.0. J. HAPEY. GAR GQUPLING.

, No. 452,372. Patented May 19, 1891.

@wit/wonen t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CUTHBERT J. HAF'EY, OF EUREKA, KANSAS.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,372, dated May 19, 1891.

Application tiled December 26,1890. Serial No. 375,824.. (No model.)

car-couplers; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of parts illustrated and described in the accompanying drawings and specification.

My object is to provide a simple and etiective automatic ear-coupler provided with suitable transversely extending levers, by which the said cars may be uncoupled without the necessity of the operator passing between them. I also provide a suitable recess or slot in the forward end of the draw-head, in which a link of the ordinary coupling now in use may be secured when coupling with a car provided with the old form of draw-head.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of two cars, showing them secured together by my improved coupler. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same on the line a.' a: of Fig. 1, having one of the hooks in its elevated or uncoupled position. Fig. 3 is a front View of one ofthe ears provided with my coupler. Fig. 4L is a perspective view of my invention detached from the ear. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the coupling-hook used in this connection. Fig. 6 are detail perspective views detached, showing the mechanism whereby the cars may be uncoupled without the necessity of entering between them.

Similar igures of reference refer to similar parts in all the drawings, in whichl l designate two cars, which are secured by the draw-heads 2, which are exact duplicates of each other. Therefore the description of the one will suffice for both. These draw-heads are provided in their rear sides near the lower end thereof with the horizontal or guide slots or notches 3, in which Yengage the usual forward straps 4, which are bolted at opposite ends to the under side of the cross-bar 5 in the usual manner. The slots 3 are of such extended length as to allow for longitudinal movement of the draw-heads when the cars come together. The draw-bars 6 of said drawheads are secured in the usual manner to the lunder side pf the car. The draw-heads are ing arm 1l, and adapted to engage in its coupled position with the rear wall 12 of the receiving head or chamber 8. The rod 9 has its opposite ends engaging the inclined slots 13 and 14 of the forwardly-extending arm or projection l5 and the centralor body portion .16 of the draw-head, the ends of said rod resting, when the device is in its uncoupled position, upon the lower horizontal door of the slots, the hook beingin its horizontal and forwardly-extending position, as shown in Fig. 4. Then coupled together, the draft or strain upon the hooks 10 causes the said rod 9 to assume the position inthe upper forward portion of the said slots, as shown in Fig. 2. The coupling-hooks 10 are provided, also,wit.h the upwardly-extending shoulder or projeetion 17, which extends from the inner edge about half-way across the width of said coupling-hook, the portion of the upper surface to one side of and adjacent to said shoulder or projection heilig beveled or rounded, as shown at 18. The rear end of said hook is also provided with the depending projection or shoulder 19, which is adapted to bear against the lower` end of the forwardly and outwardly curved spring 20, which is of the same width and in alignment with the beveled portion 1S of said hook, the upper end of which is secured by a bolt 2l to the wall 22, which is beveled or inclined rearwardly and downwardly, as shown, the object of which will be presently described.

The rear wall 12 of the receiving head or chamber 8 of the draw-head is recessed or cut away, as shown at 23, and has secured there- IOO in on the short transverse rod 2l, the opposite ends of which are secured in the side walls 25 25 of said receiving head or chamber, the pivotal pawls or dogs 27 and 28 ar ranged side by side and in vertical alignment with the lower curved end 29 of the couplinghook. rl`hese dogs or pawls are of a peculiar shape, being each provided with the car or projection 30 30,arranged a suitable distance below the pivotal connection of the dogs or pawls with the transverse rod 21. These dogs or pawls are pivotally secured to the forward ends of the links or rods 31 and 32, the rear ends of which are pivotally secured, respectively, in the openings 33 and 34 of the transversely-extending levers 35 and 3G, the outer ends of which are provided with handles which extend to within a short distance of the outer side edge of the car, the inner end of lever 3G being pivoted on the cylindricalrod or projection 3T, which projects downwardly from the under surface of the central or body portion 10 of the draw-heads. The lever 35, extending in an opposite direction to the lever 3G, is provided and secured in position in a suitable manner a short distance from its inner end, which end is connected by means of link 31 to the pawl or dog 27. The projecting ends of these levers pass through and operate in the longitudinal and horizontal guide-slots 3S and 39, respectively, the slot 3S extending forwardly, or toward the forward end of the draw-head, and provided at its opposite ends with the recess or notches 38 and 38, and the slot S9 in a rearward direction, or toward the rear end of the drawhead, and also provided with recesses or notches 39 and 39, the object of which will be presently described. The pivotal connections with the pawls or dogs makes it neces sary that the short arm 3G, or arm adjacent to and passing through the slot- -52 in the walls of the receiving head or chamber 8, should be operated toward the rear when desiring to uncouple the ears, causing the concentric movement of the upwardlyextending and angular point 40 of the pawl or dog 27 in an upward direction, and thereby the elevation of the hook 11 of the eoupling-hook 10 from its engagement with the abrupt wall 12 of the receiving head or chamber 8, as will be readily understood.

Vhen desiring to uneouple from the opposite side of the car, the lever 35, having its fulerum-point 33 beyond its pivotal point, must be moved in a forward direction, causing the rear movement of the link 31 and the concentric elevation of the point 4;() of the dog or pawl 2S, causing the hooked end 11 of the coupling link or hook to be disengaged from the rear wall12 of the receiving head or chamber in the manner formerly described, as will be readily understood.

The notches or recesses 3S and 39 and 3S and 39 are to receive the shanks of lthe levers 3S and 39 when desiring to lock the pawls or dogs in their lowered position, and thereby prevent the accidental nnconpling of the cars, or to secure said pawls or dogs in their elevated position, and thereby prevent the coupling of the cars when desired, respectively.

The body portion 1G of the draw-heads is provided with thehorizontally-alignednotches or recesses 41 for the reception of a couplinglink of the ordinary construction, which is secured therein by means of the ordinary pin passing through and engaging the verticallyaligned perforations or apertures 12.

The operation of myinventionisasfollows: As the cars approach each other,the forwardly extending coupling-hooks 10 from the drawheads of the opposite cars enter silnultaneously the gnideways or passages S of the receiving heads or chambers 8, and to prevent any danger of the shock causing the recoil of the cars before the hook enga-ges the wall 12 of said receiving heads or chambers the rearwardly-extending springs 43 are secured in a suitable manner at their forward ends to the upper floor 43 of the chamber 8', the rear ends thereof inclining downwardly and rearwardly, as shown at 44, and are adapted to guide or depress the said hooked ends 11 into engagement with said walls 12 immediately said ends have passed beyond said wall 12.

The recoil of cars and subsequent draft or strain upon the coupling-hooks cause the pivotal rods 9 to assume the elevated position shown in Fig. 2.

The object of the spring 20, opposite the rear end of the coupling hooks or links 10,is to prevent the depression of said couplinghooks beyond a cert-ain distance, the extending portion 19 thereof striking or bearing against the lower free end of spring 2O when depressed, as will be understood.

To elevate the coupling-hook to the position shown in Fig. 2, when the ears are uncoupled the link is raised, causing the rod f) to move to the upward and forward end of the inclined slots 13 and 14, when the hook may be pivotally moved upward until it has reached an angle of about seventylive degrees, or until the shoulder or arm 17 will be enabled to pass the forward and upper portion of the inclined wall 22 in lowering the coupling-hook until the rod 9 has assumed its former or normal position in the lower end of slot. When the coupling-hook is released,the projecting arm or shoulder 17 engages the inclined wall 22, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, holding it in its elevated position by securing a link of ordinary description in the recess 11 in the forward end or central body port-ion 1G of the draw-head by a pin of the ordinary description engaging the vertically-aligned apertures 42. The car may be coupled with a car provided with the draw-head of the ordinary description, as will be readily understood.

The object of making the upwardly-extend- IIO ing arm or shoulder 17 of only7 about half the width of the coupling-hook is to allow said projection or arm when operating to elevate the said hook totheinclined position shown in Fig. 2topass by thespring20withoutcomingin contact with the same. The curved or beveled portion 18, adjacent to said proj ect-ion 17 and in alignment with said spring, is so constructed or arranged that after the coupling-hook has been raised to its elevated position, when released, the shaft 9 may settle back to its original position in the bottom of the slots 13 and 14 without the rear upper curved portion 18 coming in contact with the spring 20 and therefore in dangerof being jarred from its elevated position.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a car-coupler, of the draw-heads having the notches or recesses 7 and the receiving heads or chambers 8, said notches 7 being provided with the rearwardly and downwardly inclined wall 22, and the head or chamber 8 being provided with the guide-walls 25, a depending and rearwardly-extending guide-spring 43, and an abrupt wall 12, all arranged and constructed substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a car-coupler, of the draw-heads having the notches or recesses 7 and receiving heads or chambers 8, the side wall 15, and central or body port-ion 16, provided with the upwardly and forwardly inclined slots 13 and 14, said portion 16 being also provided with the notch or recess 41 in its forward edge for the reception of coupling-link of ordinary description and with the aligned apertures 42 therethrough for the engagement of the pin of ordinary construction, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the draw-heads having the recesses 7 and the receiving heads or chambers 8, the inclined slots 13 and 14, the recesses 41, the aligned perforations 42, and receiving-chamber 8, having the rear abrupt wall 1.2, provided with the recess 23, in which are pivotally arranged on the transverse rod 24 the pawls or dogs 27 and 28, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in the draw-heads constructed as described, with the pivotally-arranged pawls or dogs 27 and 28, of the transversely and laterally extending levers 35 and 36, through the medium of the connecting links or rods 30 and 31, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in the draw-heads constructed as described and provided with the centrally-depending pin or projection 37, and with the forwardly and rearwardly extending horizontal slots 38 and 39, provided with notches 38 and 3,8 and 39 and 39, of the transversely or laterally extending levers pivoted upon said depending lug or projection 37, and extended through and adapted to be guided by the slots 38 and 39 n the opposite walls 15 and 25 of said draw-head, substantially as described.

6. The combination, in a draw-head, with the pivotally-arranged pawls or dogs 27 and 28, through the mediu m of suitably-constructedv links or rods, of the respective transversely or laterally extending hand-levers 35 and 36, said lever 36 being pivoted at its extreme innervend on pin or projection 37, and adapted to be operated in the rearwardly-extending slot 39 and to rest alternately in notches 39 and 39, and lever 35, being pivoted at a suitable distance from its inner end on said pin or projection 27, has its extreme inner end fulcrumed and pivotally connected to the pawl or dog 27, said leverbeing adapted to be operated in the forwardly-extending slot 38 and rest alternately in notches 38 and 38, all arranged substantially as described.

7. rIhe combination, in a draw-head provided with the inclined or oblique slots 13 and 14, as described, of the transversely-extending rod 9, loosely engaging at its opposite ends in said slots and having substantially secured thereon the coupling-hook 10, provided with the depending hook at its forward end and the upwardly-extending arm or projection 17 and beveled or curved portion 18, and with the depending arm or projection 19 in its rear end, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a draw-head provided with a recessed portion 7, of the rearwardly and downwardly inclined wall 22 thereof, having a suitable depending and forwardly-curved spring 20 secured thereto, with the coupling-hook 10, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination, in a car-coupler, the draw-heads provided with the recessed portion 7, and receiving heads or chambers 8, of the pivotally-arranged pawls or dogs 27 and 28, adapted to be operated as described, with the forward or hooked end of the couplinghook 10, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. In a car-coupling, a draw-head having a pivoted hook, and areceiving head or chamber consisting of a flaring guideway or passage formed by an upper wall and by the inclined lower wall 8, the said lower wall 'decreasing the width of said passage toward its rear end and ending in an abrupt retainingwall 12 for the engagement of the couplinghook 10 of the adjoining car, in combination with a spring 43, having its forward end secured to the said upper wall, and having its rear end bent downward and adapted to press upon the said hook 10, as described.

IOO

IIO

11. In a car-coupling, a draw-head having l a pivoted hook, anda receiving head or charnber consisting of a flaring guideway or passage formed by an upper wall 43 and by the inclined lower wall 8, the said lower wall decreasing the width of sziid passage toward to lift the Coupling-hook of the adjoining em' 1o its rear end :uid ending in, :m abrupt retainfroin out of engagement with ILilo sind remining-wail l2 for the engagement 0L' the oouping-wnil, ns described.

ling-hook 10 of the adjoining om', iu eombi- Tn testimony whereof VIzLI'iix mysigimturein 5 nation with n spring' 3, having its forward presence of two witnesses.

end secured to the snid upper wall and lmv- CU'IITUR'I J. IIAFEY.

ing its rear end bent downward and adapted Witnesses: y

to press upon the said hook l0, and means WM. L. DAVIUE,

contained in the said draw-heod und adopted II. E. PRICE. 

